COLOGNE - Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has reportedly scored a silent success by managing to secretly secure for Moscow a cross-section of Zimbabwe's rich mineral resources, in return for military security for Harare, amid suspicion that the Russian leader could be eying to all but launch a virtual military base in the Southern African nation, Spotlight Zimbabwe, has been told.

Information at hand shows that President Robert Mugabe and Putin have become close in recent times, thus explaining Mugabe's invitation to attend Russia's annual victory day, in May 2015, in his capacity as then African Union chair. A sideline meeting between the two leaders, is said to have taken place under closed doors in the Russian capital, and the agenda still remains mysterious.

Mugabe had previously hosted Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in September 2014 in the country. Lavrov lead a high powered business delegation which was received by foreign affairs minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and senior government officials. A number of trade and investment deals were signed, in infrastructure development, mining, energy and agriculture among other sectors. It is during this time where, the Russians are thought to have been granted exclusive mining rights to Zimbabwe's uranium, gold and diamonds.

Russia, Spotlight Zimbabwe, gathers is willing also to among other things provide modern weapons for the country's army and air force, while reportedly undertaking to assist the country in securing and monitoring her airspace with top of the range military and radar technology. The military technology, is said to include capabilities of paralysing and/or hacking spy satellite activities. A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications.

"Zimbabwe is under sustained and coordinated attack from outside," said a top ranking military source in the capital citing a new internal Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) report. "It is a sophisticated psychological, technological, financial and cyber war against this land my friend, that is why we are making military cooperation with Russia, and others like China and Iran. Many people are not aware that there are dark imperialist forces building spy satellite facility centres on our homeland soil disguised as embassies. So far about three foreign governments are known to be doing that, but they will not succeed because we are no longer primitive in this realm, our allies are there to help. As they watch us, we will be watching over them."

Our source added that so-called hostile capitals against government, were confidently operating and hiding behind The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which makes their premises "out of reach for the authorities", adding that even a change in government will not reverse what the Zimbabwe military is reportedly undertaking with Russian help.

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It specifies the privileges of a diplomatic mission that enable diplomats to perform their function without fear of coercion or harassment by the host country. This forms the legal basis for diplomatic immunity. Its articles are considered a cornerstone of modern international relations. As of April 2014, it has been ratified by 190 states.

This publication has been promised a copy of the report, once it is "declassified". Defence ministry staff could neither deny nor comfirm the story yesterday, refusing to shed light citing national security concerns.

"You have no access and prerogative. It is at our disposal to brief the press, but this is a no go area," said a public relations staffer at Defence House.

The revelations come on the backcloth of defence minister, Sidney Sekeramayi, last week disclosing that the country's peace is under threat from sponsored regime change.

"The major threat to Zimbabwe's peaceful existence is the Western sponsored regime change agenda that has been strengthened by their opposition to our land reform programme which forms an integral feature of the Government's policy and is in line with the ethos of the liberation struggle," he said, while addressing military officers attending Joint Command and Staff Course Number 30 in Harare on Zimbabwe's defence policy.

"The basic inspiration that we must regain is control over our God-given land both in terms of governance and also in terms of the use of the resources. This has, obviously as we all know, led to an unrelenting attack on us by the West. The objective of the regime change agenda orchestrated by the West, led by the United Kingdom and the USA, is economic destabilisation through illegal economic sanctions, psychological information warfare, inclusive political interference, diplomatic isolation and socio-cultural intrusion.There is no doubt that their ultimate objective is to cause economic hardship among the population so that they result in frustration, poverty and push them into revolt against the Government. Indeed people have been into revolting against their Governments."

According to other high level officials with close proximity to the President's Office, Moscow is also going to supply the country with fuel and part of it's electricity needs, to boost economic performance and is on the verge of setting up shop to explore gas reserves through her energy giant, Gazprom, in Lupane, Matabeleland North. Lupane is home to significant coal bed methane gas. Estimates suggest that there is more than 40 trillion cubic feet of potentially recoverable coal bed methane gas reserves in the Lupane-Lubimbi area.

Gazprom holds the world's largest natural gas reserves and at least 12 percent of the global gas output. The firm has a massive market value of about US$51 billion.

Mugabe has intensified mortgaging Zimbabwe's mineral resources in a bid to secure an economic turnaround, raising fears about the security of the country's mineral wealth used as guarantees in opaque deals.

Already the Kremlim has struck a US$3billion platinum mining deal, which will see them running the country's biggest platinum mine in Darwendale. Mining ministry sources last week said, the Russians are also venturing into gold mining identified in the Kadoma and Midlands area, while another company has already been licensed to mine diamonds in Manicaland.

A multi-billion dollar joint venture company called Great Dyke, has since been formed between the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and three Russian companies VI Holdings, Rostec, and Vneshconombank.